Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-05-05
CUTE CRACKSMEN!
Burglars Enter the Store Of Jno
r. Consigny Saturday Night,
Securing Small Change and
Valuable Papers.
A Bad Nights Work.-Quick Pur-
suit and Capture.
The Trio, Storm, Burns and Jack
CONFESSION.

The populace was diverted from
its peace and pleasure pursuing in
clinations of Sabbath morning by
the announcement that burglars had
entered the grocery and provision
store of John F. Consigny, blown
open the safe and extracted valuable
papers and an amount of money
that was varied by the imaginative
ability of the reporter. Upon going
to the store on that morning, as has
been his custom, Mr.. Ralph Heflin,
the chief clerk, was bewildered to
see all about the signs of the nights
work, the safe doors standing open,
the interior steel box containing val
liable papers gone, the tools lying
upon the desk, -four strewn all
about, the back door standing open,
in fact a full and quickly perceived
picture of the robbery, lacking only
to perfect it the much desired pres
ence of the chief characters. 1t took
Mr.. Heflin some moments to com
prehend the situation. Without
molesting or in any manner disturb
ing any of the surroundings he i'm
mediately informed Mr.. Consigny,
and upon his arrival at the store
they proceeded to investigate and
study into the manners of the in
truder.
The evidence of the whole trans
action was so plain that it could be
traced in almost in every act. En-.
trance had been effected through the
back door, which is secured at night
by an iron bar from casing to casing
and crossing the door proper SIN
inches from the bottom Of the upper
panels. Through the panel nearest
the lock had been bored holes with
an inch auger, making an aperture
of sufficient size to admit mans
hand, when the cross bar was lifted
from its mooring and the door
swung open. The safe is situated
on the east side of the room midway
between the front and rear, stands
upon a platform raised six inches,
and encircled by railing. On the
front of the platform three feet
from the safe is the office desk, with
open work below. This space was
filled with sacks of flour, which
were also placed upon the desk,
and made complete embankment
in front of the work, SO that even
had any one been passing they
could not have seen what was going
on. Next TO this bank of flour was
set cracker box with the open side
toward the safe, and in this they
placed the cigar-lighter and were
ready for their work. A three
eighths inch hole was drilled
through the outer plate of the door,
in which the powder was placed,
and evidently it was discharged by
a fuse. To smother the sound Of
the explosion flour sacks were
piled upon the exposed sides of the
safe, fourteen of which sacks with
their contents were totally ruined.
The charge was evidently heavy
one, much larger than would have
neatly accomplished the purpose,
as the door was badly broken on
the interior and the fre-clay filling
was broken into many pieces.
Working by the light of the cigar
lighter the robbers evidently ex-
perienced great deal of trouble in
opening the second door, which is
fastened by lock after the Yale
pattern. They cut nearly through
the key bolt with chlsel, but find
ing the process too slow for the
emergency they finally drove the
key bolt through to the inside, tax
ing with it the inside of the lock
and allowing the door to swing
open. The third door, small one
giving access to the steel drawer,
was pried off with its hinges and
casing, so that the drawer with its
contents could be slipped out. The
drawer was gone, and this more
than anything else actuated MIR.
Consigny in instituting vigorous
search for the thieves. The tracks
in the -four on the floor gave con-
elusive proof that more than one
was engaged, for seemingly while
the craftsman was engaged at the
the safe his pal had occupied the
Office chair behind the stove and
watched for any stir upon the out
side.
The steel box contained a great
many papers of value to MIR. Con-
signy and Mr.. A. L. Viewer, con.
sisting of promissory notes, insur-
ance policies and some negotiable
papers. There was also in a shot
bag some money in silver pieces,
among which were selected coins
and quantity of nickles Of the "V"
pattern amounting to about ten
dollars.
The disturbance was only heard
by waiter girls at the Burns Hotel,
who occupy an apartment separated
few feet from the store, and they
were only slightly aroused, and
thinking of nothing strange were
soon asleep, and so can give no idea
Of the probable hour.
The tools used and left lying up.
on the desk, brace and bit, ham,
Tner and chisel, were identified as
The property of H. b. Wilson, who,
upon going to his blacksmith shop,
found a window broken, through
winch the burglars had reached the
tools upon the work bench. This
was brazen piece of work as the
shop is not more than a foot re.
moved from the residence of Chester
Hibbs. The back door of the resi-.
dence and the broken shop window
are not more than eight feet apart.
SUSPICION.
As soon as these facts had become
generally known, suspicion was i'm.
mcdiately directed to a young man
who had been the guest of the Wes-